Biochemical Composition, Antioxidant Capacity and Protective Effects of Three Fermented Plants Beverages on Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride in Mice.

Functional beverages play an essential role in our modern life and contribute to nutritional well-being. Current efforts to understand and develop functional beverages to promote health and wellness have been enhanced. The present study aimed to investigate the production of three fermented plants beverages (FPBs) from aromatic and medicinal plants and to evaluate the fermented product in terms of physio-biochemical composition, the aromatic compounds, antioxidant activity, and in vivo protective effects on hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The results showed that the fermented beverage NurtBio B had the highest levels of polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins; 242.3 ± 12.4 µg GAE/mL, 106.4 ± 7.3 µg RE/mL and 94.2 ± 5.1 µg CE/mL, respectively. The aromatic profiles of the fermented beverages showed thirty-one interesting volatile compounds detected by GC-MS headspace analyses such as benzaldehyde, Eucalyptol, Fenchone, 3-Octadecyne, Estragole, and Benzene propanoic acid 1-methylethyl ester. In addition, the fermentation process was significantly improved, indicating its great potential as a functional food with both strong antioxidant activity and good flavor. In vivo administration of CCl4 in mice induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity by a significant rise in the levels of serum liver and kidney biomarkers. The protective effects of the FPBs showed that they significantly restored the majority of these biological parameters to normal levels, along with increase antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as an improvement of histopathological changes, suggesting their protective effects.

Inhibition of avian influenza virus H9N2 infection by antiviral hexapeptides that target viral attachment to epithelial cells.

The H9N2 subtype of influenza A virus circulates frequently among poultry in Asian and North African countries causing economic loss in the poultry sector. The antigenic variations of the H9N2 virus were at the origin of its genetic evolution through the emergence of viral strains transmissible to humans and resistant to chemical antivirals, which require a strengthening of the fight means against this virus. In this study, we used a random linear hexapeptide library fused to the gene III protein of M13 filamentous bacteriophage to select new antiviral peptides that inhibit the infectivity of H9N2 virus. After three rounds of stringent selection and amplification, polyclonal phage-peptides directed against H9N2 virus were assessed by ELISA, and the optimal phage-peptides were grown individually and characterized for binding to H9N2 virus by monoclonal phage ELISA. The DNA of 27 phage-peptides clones was amplified by PCR, sequenced, and their amino acid sequences were deduced. Sixteen different phage-peptides were able to bind specifically the H9N2 virus, among them, 13 phage-peptides interacted with the hemagglutinin H9. Two selected peptides, P1 (LSRMPK) and P2 (FAPRWR) have shown antiviral activity in ovo and P1 was more protective in vivo then P2 when co-administered with the H9N2 virus. Mechanistically, these peptides prevent infection by inhibiting the attachment of the H9N2 virus to the cellular receptor. Molecular docking revealed that the peptides LSRMPK and FAPRWR bind to hemagglutinin protein H9, but interact differently with the receptor binding site (RBS). The present study demonstrated that the peptide P1 (LSRMPK) could be used as a new inhibitory molecule directed against the H9N2 virus.

Wound healing effect of Pistacia lentiscus L. seed oil: confirmation of its uses in Mediterranean traditional medicine / Efecto curativo de heridas del aceite de semilla de Pistacia lentiscus L: confirmación de sus usos en medicina tradicional mediterránea

In order to evaluate the potential of this formulation (P. lentiscus L. oil-based ointment) to heal wounds, experimental wounds were done on guinea pigs and efficiency was comparatively assessed against a reference ointment, Cicaderma®. Wound contraction was performed on days 5, 10 and 15. Tissue sections were also evaluated histopathological on days 7, 14 and 21. Results showed that for all days (5, 10 and 15), the highest wound contraction values were attained for the P. lentiscus oil-based ointment treated group with wound contraction values of 19.38, 55.8 and 77.11%, respectively, as compared to the reference drug Cicaderma® where contractions were 7.97%, 49.53% and 71.44%, respectively. Vehicle and negative control groups however showed no statistically significant wound healing activity on the excision wound model. These experimental studies revealed that the P. lentiscus oil-based ointment displays remarkable wound healing activity, in accordance with its use in traditional medicine.

Con el fin de evaluar el potencial de esta formulación (ungüento a base de aceite de P. lentiscus L.) para curar heridas, se realizaron heridas experimentales en cobayos y se evaluó comparativamente su eficacia respecto de un ungüento de referencia, Cicaderma®. La contracción de la herida se realizó los días 5, 10 y 15. Las secciones de tejido también se evaluaron histopatológicamente los días 7, 14 y 21. Los resultados mostraron que para todos los días (5, 10 y 15), se obtuvieron los valores más altos de contracción de la herida para el grupo tratado con ungüento a base de aceite de P. lentiscus con valores de contracción de la herida de 19.38, 55.8 y 77.11%, respectivamente, en comparación con el medicamento de referencia Cicaderma® en donde las contracciones fueron 7.97%, 49.53% y 71.44%, respectivamente. Sin embargo, los grupos de control de vehículo y negativo no mostraron actividad de curación de heridas estadísticamente significativa en el modelo de herida por escisión. Estos estudios experimentales revelaron que la pomada a base de aceite de P. lentiscus muestra una notable actividad de curación de heridas, de acuerdo con su uso en la medicina tradicional.

Thermoprotective properties of Opuntia ficus-indica f. inermis cladodes and mesocarps on sheep lymphocytes.

This study aims to investigate the thermoprotective properties of Opuntia ficus-indica f. inermis. Extracts were prepared from cladodes (CE) and mesocarps (ME), then subjected to a spectrophotometric and LC-MS analyses. Lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood of non-stressed sheep, supplemented with CE, ME, betanin or α-tocopherol, and subjected to two thermal treatments: 40 and 41 °C, for 6 h. Viable lymphocytes and H2O2 production were evaluated. The antioxidant activity of ME was 3.43 folds higher than CE. The LC-MS analysis of CE and ME allowed identifying 11 phenolic acids, 2 flavanones, 6 flavones, 3 flavonols and 1 betanin type betacyanin. Lymphocytes mortality increased linearly as function of the severity and the duration of heat stress. This mortality was correlated with H2O2 production. At 41 °C, only ME allowed maintaining lymphocytes viability. Moreover, ME was more efficient than CE in reducing H2O2 production. This thermoprotection was ensured by betaxanthin and betacyanin pigments. Interestingly, betanin was more efficient than α-tocopherol in preventing hyperthermia-induced lymphocytes' mortality. We report here for the first time the thermoprotective properties of cladodes and mesocarps of Opuntia ficus-indica f. inermis. Betanin was able to maintain lymphocyte viability through reducing H2O2 production, and therefore the oxidative-induced heat stress.

Simultaneous alteration of residues 279 and 284 of the VP2 major capsid protein of a very virulent Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (vvIBDV) strain did not lead to attenuation in chickens.

BACKGROUND: Cell culture adaptation of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) was shown to be mainly associated with the VP2 capsid protein residues 253, 279, and 284. The single mutation A284T proved critical for cell culture tropism, but did not confer efficient virus replication, which at least required one additional mutation, Q253H or D279N. While the double mutation Q253H/A284T was unambiguously shown to confer both efficient replication in cell culture and attenuation in chickens, conflicting results have been reported regarding the replication efficiency of vvIBDV mutants bearing the D279N/A284T double mutation, and no data are hitherto available on their virulence in chickens. FINDINGS: Here we used an in vivo reverse genetics system to assess the impact of the D279N/A284T double mutation on the replication and attenuation of a chimeric IBDV virus, whose polyprotein derived from a non-culturable vvIBDV clinical isolate. We found that the D279N/A284T double mutation did indeed confer efficient replication in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell culture, but the mutant virus remained highly pathogenic to chickens. CONCLUSIONS: The double mutation D279N/A284T of the VP2 major capsid protein of vvIBDV is sufficient to confer cell culture tropism and replication efficiency, but does not necessarily lead to virus attenuation.

Evaluation of protection conferred by a vaccination program based on the H120 and CR88 commercial vaccines against a field variant of avian infectious bronchitis virus.

Due to serotype variations among different avian infectious bronchitis viruses isolated in Tunisia since 2000, protection of chicks, especially broiler flocks, with Mass H120 vaccine often fails. Therefore, association of CR88 (793B type) with H120 vaccines was used for better response. Challenge experiments were then conducted to evaluate tracheal and renal cross-protection in chickens immunized via nasal and eye drops. Conferred protection was measured by clinical signs and macroscopic lesions observed, based on scores attributed according to their severities. The results showed a low protection conferred by H120 alone, as vaccination did not reduce tracheal and kidney lesions (70% scored as 3) after TN20/00 virus challenge, which also led to 10% mortality. Conversely, the challenge results indicated that the combination of the 2 strains (H120/CR88) allow high protection. Based on the results of the challenge experiments, a vaccination protocol coupling CR88 to H120 was applied for industrial broiler flocks. Clinical observations and serological results confirmed that association of heterologous serotypes (H120 and CR88 vaccines) increased the levels of protection against infectious bronchitis viruses compared with the H120 vaccine given alone.

Characterization of new variants of avian infectious bronchitis virus in Tunisia.

Three infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains, isolated from suspected Tunisian broiler flocks, were characterized as variant viruses using genotyping and serotyping techniques. They were compared with commonly used vaccine strains, including 793/B, D274, and Massachusetts types. Reverse transcription-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, nucleotide sequencing, and GenBank BLAST database analyses of the hypervariable region of the S1 subunit of the virus spike gene showed that the three isolates, designated TN20/00, TN200/01, and TN335/01, share from 64% to 82% homologies between each other but are very different from the H120 strain, the only infectious bronchitis vaccine used in Tunisia. In addition, they showed from 57% to 78% similarities with the European genotypes, including D274 and 793/B. Phylogenetic data allowed classification of the three Tunisian isolates as new genotypes placed inside the same genetic group as the CR88121 and D274 genotypes but very distant from the Massachusetts genotype. Cross-virus neutralization tests confirmed the genotyping results and showed that both TN200/01 and TN335/01 isolates are serologically related, whereas the TN20/00 is closer to TN335/01 than to TN200/01. Moreover, all three Tunisian isolates are closely related to the European variant serotypes, including the CR88121 and the D274 strains, but none is serologically related to the H120 vaccine strain. These data demonstrated, for the first time in Tunisia, the cocirculation of IBV variant serotypes along with the Massachusetts type, causing severe clinical diseases and high economic losses to the poultry industry.